Bright voices of women-artists in 20th century Belarusian art

Bright voices of women-artists in 20th century Belarusian art

How many pieces of pictorial art, sculpture and so on are there praising female beauty throughout history, while glorifying the ideal of motherhood and women’s kindness? Woman as muse and inspirer of spiritual reflection is a well-known trope. However, few women are known as the artist behind the brush or chisel, since they acted within a limited social sphere until the early 20th century.


It has only been in the past century that such artists as Anna Akhmatova, Marina Tsvetaeva, Zinaida Gippius, Natalia Goncharova, Olga Rosanova and Lyubov Popova have been allowed their voice, taking an active role beyond ‘the muse’, to create their own works.

The voices of women artists came to the fore in Belarusian art in the 20th century. Nadia Khodasevich-Leger, Alena Kish, Yelena Kabishcher-Yakerson, Vera Yermolaeva, Yevgeniya Magaril, Raisa Kudrevich, Valeriana Zholtok, Zoya Litvinova, Svetlana Gorbunova, Ninel Schastnaya, Lyudmila Myagkova, Angelina Beltyukova, Alena Los, Vera Gavrilyuk and Olga Sazykina became landmark figures of Belarusian art. The success of Belarusian women artists over the past decade has been confirmed by their exhibition activity, participating in prestigious international events and being showcased by museums.

The virtual show prepared by the National Art Museum of Belarus features 18 artists from the past two decades, including Belarusian painters Maria Isaenok, Lada Schastnaya, Victoria Danchuk and Anna Silivonchik, whose artistry has the power to shape emotions.